Arena is an RPG made by Bethesda Softworks in 1994. It is the first game in The Elder Scrolls franchise. Since its release, Bethesda has produced numerous other sequels including Daggerfall, Battlespire, Redguard, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Elder Scrolls Online. The fifth Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, was released in 2011 and is the most recent role-playing game in the series.
Initally, comparing Arena to Skyrim is a complete joke. However, Arena does offer some features and realism that the 27th best-selling game of all time does not. Here are five of them. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. Arena pictures and videos on the left are compared with Skyrim pictures on the right.
Initally, comparing Arena to Skyrim is a complete joke. However, Arena does offer some features and realism that the 27th best-selling game of all time does not. Here are five of them. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. Arena pictures and videos on the left are compared with Skyrim pictures on the right.
1. City Size
In Skyrim, when first running around the bend from Riverwood toward Whiterun, the player is amazed by the size and greatness of Whiterun. The guards finally open up the city gates and entrance to the city is granted for the first time. Disappointingly, there are very few stores to visit and few homes to break into. In total: 9 houses and 3 stores - certainly not enough to call Whiterun a city. In Arena, cities are exactly what they are - cities, huge maze-like cities. There are several stores and taverns and countless NPC's. Whiterun in Arena is enormous and is fit to be the center of the Whiterun Hold.
2. Bartering and Countering Prices
Arena offers the player the opportunity to barter for a better price, be it a room in an inn, armor, swords, or ale. The seller gives a base price, and the player can either accept the price or counter it. The vendor will reject offers too low and accept ones near or at the original price. The player can also offer a higher price than the original if feeling particularly generous. The only fluctuation in price in Skyrim is by a mod, such as Trade Routes by Taleden, or leveling up the player's speech skill.
3. World Size
Skyrim is one of the best open-world games ever created. But compared to Arena, Skyrim is extremely small. Arena allows the player to travel all of Tamriel, not just one province. Arena's Tamriel is about 6,000,000 square miles while Skyrim is only 105,500 square miles. This makes Skyrim two percent the size of Arena. It would take several hours in real life to walk from city to city, making fast-travel a must in Arena.
4. Combat
Even with mods, Skyrim cannot give you the feel of swinging a sword as Arena does. In Skyrim, the player simply mashes the left mouse button as quick as he or she can until the enemy dies. On screen, the character performs different attacks, but not as directed by the player. Arena allows the player to control how the sword is swung by holding right-click and moving the mouse different directions. Moving the mouse right will swing the sword to the right, moving it left will swing it to the left, moving it up will lunge, and so on.
5. Quest and Map Markers
In Skyrim, all quest targets are pointed out on the map, the compass, and even directly in-game, like on doors and chests. One does not need to pay attention to the storyline or the people talking to you. All you need to do is mindlessly follow the arrows. In Arena, you must be engaged in the storyline and actually read the dialogue. The people will point out inns, shops, and other places throughout the huge cities. You will also get tips as to where your quest objectives might be. This is more realistic and immerses you into the world of Tamriel.